The Johannesburg Labour Court today made the agreement between Solidarity and Telkom that was reached last week an order of court. The agreement came after Solidarity had launched an urgent application for an interdict in the Labour Court to stay the flawed consultation process that Telkom has followed to date.
 
In terms of the court order a facilitator must be appointed to facilitate the consultations regarding the proposed retrenchments. The court order further states that Telkom is prohibited from making any appointments or carrying out any retrenchments until the facilitation process has been concluded.
 
According to Johan Kruger, Deputy General Secretary of Solidarity, the new facilitation process in terms of sections 189 and 189A of the Labour Relations Act has already started yesterday. “We trust that the new consultation process led by a facilitator will take place correctly and transparently. We are delighted that the legal process that we followed together with the public pressure against Telkom’s planned layoffs had the desired effect,” said Kruger.
 
Kruger explained that this court order is victory within a bigger fight for the jobs of Solidarity’s members. “We are aware that the big fight regarding Telkom’s business rationale and the proposed use of race as a selection criterion still lies ahead. Solidarity is determined to do its utmost to protect the rights of its members both during and after the consultation process,” added Kruger.